Designing and Deploying a Virtual IT Services Orientation for First-Year Undergraduate Students in Moodle

Abstract Lehigh University's Library & Technology Services (LTS) department developed a virtual gamified orientation designed to educate first-year students on the most important library and technology services offered. Prior to this virtual orientation, LTS held optional on-site orientations for first-year students, which had low attendance rates. The low attendance likely resulted in many first-year students lacking awareness of the services LTS offered and where to ask for assistance regarding the services. The LTS Ramp Up is a modular course built and administered in Moodle that introduces first-year students to the core library and technology services that will support academic success and facilitate a productive scholarly experience. The course features digital badges and prizes to incentivize participation and utilized Panopto to create several closed-captioned instructional video shorts. The end goals of the course were to empower first-year students with the information needed to successfully begin using LTS services, introduce them to Lehigh's branded installation of Moodle, and provide the convenience of self-paced online learning.